When a new employee asks for help handling the office gossip, Dr. Conflict advises first against upping the conflict by putting said gossip on the defensive, and second to check out the office culture before leaping into the fray. Perhaps surprising to some, he also reminds the frustrated employee that while one should not pay attention to every detail of what goes on in the workplace, it is never a good idea to stay disconnected, either, as “today’s gossip may be tomorrow’s fact.”

This past year marked the beginning of Occupy Wall Street, which is emblematic of a rising tide of citizen action unconnected to formal institutions. Disturbing to some and exciting to others, the ability of people to self-organize—and their evident preference for it—is the overriding meaning we take from this past year into the next. What does it mean for institutions even in this sector. Do we need to change, too?